Bush Park

23 September 2008
7:15
Bush Park, Salem, OR
Usually I have just run without even noticing how beautiful Bush Park really is. As I run around the park it is a welcoming feel to transition from the harsh pavement to the soft cushion of woodchips. I have run this path many times and I always note the wide path of woodchips that I run on and next to it a small alley of grass and then a trail, just barely a foot wide, where the grass has been worn down by bikers. As I run off of this diagonal I cut right behind the clean freshly cut baseball diamond and back onto a cushion path of woodchips, though this path is of a slightly different composition. This trail has been packed down and after rainfalls you can hear the squish of mud as the sole of your foot hits the ground. Slowly a pile of wood from a fallen tree has been diminishing, every time I run past this area the pile seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Regardless of what day it is there is always something going on at this park, whether it is long boarders using the soap-box hill, people playing a pick up game of soccer or volleyball, or simply a picnic being shared between two. By far, I have found that Sundays are the most active day of the park. This past Sunday when I went running I must have past by 3 birthday parties. The trees were decorated with balloons of all colors and children ran around playfully chasing one another. Although I am just observing I feel as though I am part of this park.